Wild Wolf

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I don’t typically dive into a series at the sixth installment, but when Jennifer Ashley’s WILD WOLF landed on my doorstep I couldn’t resist the call of her werewolves. Fortunately for me, this book stands well enough on its own and the writing drew me in to the point of needing to go back, and start the SHIFTERS UNBOUND journey from the beginning. The mythology is well thought out, and is paired with red-hot love scenes and extremely likable characters. Ashley just went from being a new-to-me-author to a must read!

The world-building and lore are the two main elements that caught my interest early on, and are also the primary reasons why I plan on picking-up book 1. I’m sure that there’s way more to the show more SU universe than what I was able to gleam from only one installment, but the tidbits I did learn made me fall head-over-heels in love with this series. Ashley’s werewolves have been exiled to reservation-type living conditions called Shiftertowns, are forced to wear anti-aggression collars, and are just overall unwelcome among humans. There’s also a variety of different shifter breeds and even subgroups of wolves which made learning about them all a lot of fun.

I was surprised by the author’s approach to the romantic aspect of this story; Graham and Misty have been dating for 8 months, but have yet to have sex, which is practically unheard of in novels that feature mate bonds. And, the two main characters don’t actually get-it-on until quite a ways into the book, but in the interim there’s no shortage of “substitute” options, and these turn-out to be equally as satisfying. I liked that even though she’s human, Misty is far from weak; in fact, she saves McNeil’s alpha-ass not once, but twice! They make a great couple and I thoroughly enjoyed reading their story.

The secondary characters were phenomenal as well; some of the mated pairs have obviously been featured in previous installments, and after meeting them in WILD WOLF, I’m anxious to read their tales. There’s a nice mix of supernaturals in the SU world, and I enjoyed learning about Ashley’s Fae and gnomes (yes GNOMES!). I loved Matt & Kyle—the adorable werewolf cubs—and Reid, Ben, Dougal and Eric were awesome personalities too. It’s clear that this series has a lot of offer; my only regret is not having discovered it sooner!

WILD WOLF is a fantastic book whether you’re a long-time Jennifer Ashley fan or a newcomer like me. Great humour, sexy shifters and outstanding writing—everything a reader needs for hours of enjoyment. show less

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION’s Heavenly Hellspawn – Erika:
*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review

After long living wild, Graham McNeil’s unruly pack that was forced in a Shiftertown with a variety of other shifter species. Adjusting is slow going (even 20 years later) and the pack is pressuring Graham to choose a mate and start his dynasty, convinced that doing so will solidify the pack and strengthen his leadership. However Graham’s not terribly eager to have pack politics force him into mating. Graham still battles the grief of having lost his first mate and cub, having been unable to process loss before being charged with raising his nephew after his sister died. Having to maintain control of the pack while facing show more such enormous loss forced Graham to cordon off his heart, and has also left him feeling a little burnt out. His only source of pleasure is his human girlfriend.

Misty Granger owns a small floral boutique, and lives a quiet ‘normal’ life. The only thing she does that could be considered reckless is dating a shifter, and not just any shifter, a pack Alpha. She knows that the thing between her and Graham is just for fun and will never be long term, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before he’s forced to pick and mate with another shifter, but when trouble literally busts into her life she has no one else to call to help her.

Graham races to her aid, only to discover that Misty isn’t the one in serious trouble—he is. Someone has big plans for Graham. Unsure of what evil stalks him Graham is forced to juggle Misty’s problems, leading a pack, ushering his nephew into adulthood and now raise two orphaned cubs while trying to fight off a spell and stay alive (and sane).

All of Jennifer Ashley’s Alphas are sexy enough to make our knees weak, and Mr. McNeil is no different! Graham is that perfect combination of confident, arrogant, abrasive and noble. Like the others, he lives and breathes by what is best for the pack… mostly. Misty, while unassuming sweet, is strong-willed, outspoken and honest… and she loves to talk. The two drive each other crazy in the best and worst of ways, making for great conflict and even better reconciliations.

Misty accepts that her and Graham are a temporary thing, but once she realizes Graham is in serious trouble she refuses to let Graham shut her out, even if they don’t end up together—which she isn’t sure she wants—she refuses to turn her back on him when he’s in trouble after her did so much for her when she was. Her naiveté causes problems--as it would anyone thrown into a culture they’ve had limited exposure to—but she is convinced she can help and determined to do what she can until Graham is out of danger.

One of the best things about this story was that the author had the characters stay true to themselves; there was no grand personality change that happened after the pair hooked up. Graham stayed Graham throughout the whole book; he was a rough, uncouth and aggressive guy that yelled far more than he talked—from beginning to end—even as circumstances changed and he started admitting that he had deeper feelings for Misty, even when things were great he was himself, unapologetically. Even so, Graham’s struggles with his nephew Dougal and the twins (while simultaneously bearing sole responsibility for the whole pack) are really endearing and show you just how much pressure and responsibility rests on his broad shoulders. But no matter how dire things looked he ‘sucked it up’ and did what he needed to do, for his pack and his family.

Another highlight was how Misty was portrayed sexually: she wasn’t a virgin, she wasn’t shy, she OWNED her sexuality and her desires, which was not only awesome and REALLY refreshing, but something that should start trending in Romance writing as a whole.

It was also really great to see dynamics changing in multiple relationships--not just between the hero & heroine - or between them and their family - but between all of the characters despite their prominence in the story. The character growth was throughout the cast, not just with the leading couple.

So even if you’ve never read the Shifters Unbound series, Wild Wolf is a must-read. Honestly. I have not been this happy or satisfied with a book in quite a while.

Thank you Jennifer Ashley! show less

Read: September 2015
The couple: Graham & Misty
Rating: 4/5 stars

Wild Wolf is another compelling, well-written book in the Shifters Unbound series. This book focuses on the romance between Graham and Misty that began in an earlier book; Mate Claimed. In that novel Graham was the antagonist and not a very nice character. It is typical of Ashley's storytelling that Graham is more than just a one-dimensional 'bad guy' and in Wild Wolf we get to find out more about Graham's past and why he behaves the way he does. Misty is a good foil for him; she is a human woman who runs a flower shop and although she seems soft on the surface she is more than capable of standing up for herself and not letting Graham get his own way all the time.
Although show more each novel focuses on an individual couple and their romance, there is always the over-arching background plot which deals with the human-shifter tensions. The Fae have also been making their presense known more and more in recent novels and in Wild Wolf there is a huge revelation that directly links to the slave/master past between the Shifters and the Fae. There is now a sense of urgency in the Shifter's experiments to remove their collars and I would like to see more page time devoted to this new development in the next few novels in the series.

I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series :) show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Extremely sexy story filled with action and great characters. I wouldn’t say it was the most memorable story but it was certainly enjoyable!

Opening Sentence: Graham McNeil slammed his massive fist into the jaw of the attacking wolf just as his cell phone rang.

The Review:

Graham McNeil is the leader of his pack and recently they had to relocate to a new Shiftertown. His wolves haven’t taken the adjustment as well as he would have hoped and Graham will do anything to help stabilize things, even take a new mate. He has only mated once and things ended tragically, so Graham has treaded carefully when it comes to giving away his heart. For the last eight months he has been dating a human show more girl named Misty, which is fine for now but his pack expects him to mate with one of their own. But when Misty is kidnapped by a group looking for revenge, Graham will stop at nothing to save her. Soon he is pitted against an extremely dangerous enemy that could destroy not only him, but all of his kind.

Misty was a great heroine that I had fun getting to know. She was witty, smart and resourceful. I love it when a girl can hold her own against the villains and doesn’t have to rely on the male character to always save her. Misty doesn’t need a man to take care of her but she doesn’t refuse help if it’s offered either, which I really liked. I also liked that she wasn’t afraid of a challenge, she faced her problems head on and running away was never an option. She was a strong female character that was really easy to like and connect with.

Graham was a very sexy man that could be extremely frustrating, but somehow that just made him sexier. Being the leader of his pack is really stressful and you can tell that he was created for the job. He knows how to take charge and he’s not afraid of a fight. But he is also compassionate and cares about his pack. He is pretty hot-headed at times and loses his temper quite often, but he also knows when he needs to apologize, which is a really important trait a good leader needs. He was a great love interest that was easy to drool over!

I loved watching the relationship between Misty and Graham develop. They had red hot chemistry and lots of delicious sexual tension running between them. But they also really balanced each other out. Misty wouldn’t take Graham’s crap and she wasn’t afraid to stand up to him. But she also loved him for who he was and didn’t want him to change. I thought that they were adorable together and it was fun to read their story.

Wild Wolf was a very steamy paranormal romance that I flew right through. I don’t usually read adult books because I am more of a YA/NA fan, but when I got asked to read and review this I thought I would give it a try. I’m glad I did, it was a fun read that kept me entertained for a few hours. I’m not going to lie, this wasn’t a very memorable story and I’ll probably never read it again but I still enjoyed it. I loved that the characters were more mature and acted like adults. It was refreshing to be inside an older characters head for once. This is the sixth book in this series and I have not read the rest of the previous books, but this stood alone just fine. There were a few of the characters mannerisms and some of the things they talked about that did confuse me at times, but overall, I felt that this was just fine as a standalone. Overall, I think this was a fun read and I would recommend it to anyone that likes a fast paced, sexy paranormal romance story.

Notable Scene:

She lifted the spoon to her mouth. Graham’s gaze fixed on her even tighter. Misty moved her tongue out and licked up a dollop from her spoon.

A growl sounded in Graham’s throat, one so soft Misty knew only she could hear it. She took another lick of cream from the spoon. Graham sat so still he might have been carved into the chair, but his chest rose and fell sharply.

His face held the hardness of a man who’d survived on his strength alone for a long time, but Misty had always seen something in him besides the hardness. The tiny lines that feathered from the corners of his eyes, for example. He got them from laughing—Graham was a man not afraid to laugh. He could roar with it. Scars crisscrossed his cheekbones, and his nose had been broken, several times, he’d told her. His face was sunburned from their adventure today, but even that was healing, his skin settling into its usual liquid tan.

The sun-bronzing made his eyes stand out even more, the gray turning to silver as he watched her lick another bit of ice cream. She moved her tongue around the mound on the spoon and drew it back between her lips . . .

Graham snarled. With one flick of his big hand, he sent the ice cream bowl flying across the table to shatter on the floor.

FTC Advisory: Berkley/Penguin provided me with a copy of Wild Wolf. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

A vey nice installment in the series. I did feel that there was one spot of asshatery on the part of the hero that he didn't sufficiently apologize for but on the whole I enjoyed this episode. The over arching story line is moving along and I feel like this might be one paranormal series that will actually come to a satisfactory close rather than lingering on forever. I enjoyed both the hero and the heroine and their relationship was believable.

Read for Fun (Library)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.00

First Thought when Finished: Dang it! She made me love Graham. That is just how good Wild Wolf by Jennifer Ashley!

Overall Thoughts:Y'all she made me love Graham. I think that is mostly due to Misty and her ability to see through his bluster. Though as much as I loved the romance, the overall story is moving forward in a rapid pace with this book. I LOVED IT! We now have stuff happening and cute little cubs that are going to be a handful (I just see it) :)

My Status Updates and Highlights:

18%: "Graham is an ass! I have never really liked him so it will be interesting to see how she makes me come around to loving him. I have no doubt Jennifer will."

70%: show more "#Reading Love that she is making him work for the Mate Bond!"

Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Review show less

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

From the first, Ashley’s Shifters Unbound series has been about more than individual romances. Both human and Fae politics bubble and pop in the background, changing the world in which these many happy couples live. WILD WOLF, in addition to an engrossing romance, offers an adventure with the potential to shake up this entire world.

Between Fae machinations and human fears, the Shifters have a dangerous needle to thread. Amidst this danger, Graham is an Alpha struggling to exert his leadership under less than ideal circumstances. Ashley writes an all around darker world, with Shifters treated like second class citizens and their animal natures making for an uneasy civilization. show more Humans force shifters to live in unnatural proximity to each other, leaving Graham’s near Feral wolf pack out of their territory and comfort zone. Graham is a gruff, no nonsense kind of guy. Not having seen Misty’s and Graham’s fight club version of a meet-cute, it took me a little while to be convinced that these two were a good match. Seeing Graham tend to his flock of fractious, pain in the butt wolves, however, makes it clear that this Alpha’s gruffness is of the tough-love variety.

Jumping in mid series wasn’t a problem for enjoying WILD WOLF but it did remind me what I’ve been missing. I can’t wait to go back and read about some of the couple’s who I’ve missed out on. As for Shifters in general, it’s clear that Ashley has seismic changes on the horizon.

Sexual Content: Sex scenes. show less